The Call
by Blue Penguin Lightning
Summary: Slightly AU. In the wake of their best friend's murder, Jade and Beck grew apart and went down different paths in life. But one phone call is about to change Beck Oliver's life when the possibility of losing the one girl he loved becomes a reality.
1. Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

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Author's Note: I want to make it very clear: I'm not abandoning _Affliction_. I just need a break from it. It's very draining.

So I've come up with another way to…entertain you.

I don't typically base fanfictions on movies but I started to play with some dialogue and this movie popped back into my head. Also, _Affliction_ may have something to do with this. You'll see how in a future chapter.

Enjoy.

Reviews get a preview of the next chapter!

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**Prologue**

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"_I grieve for the moments we have had together and I long for the moments we will never have."_

-Kristin Maddock

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Jade scrolled through her phone, desperately hoping to hear something from her best friend. She had been like this all day. She and Cat were supposed to meet early that morning to finish out a project and Cat hated missing school. So when she didn't show up this morning, Jade knew something was wrong.

She immediately called Cat's parents, who were too incoherent at the time to give Jade any real answers. It wasn't until Jade started to search through the local news networks on her PearPhone did she get an answer.

Cat Valentine was missing.

No.

The news had to be lying.

Cat couldn't possibly be missing.

No.

Cat was probably just visiting a cupcake factory or something like that.

But when the headlines of BREAKING NEWS scrolled across the top of her PearPhone, Jade knew something was wrong.

"So when you crack open the coconut-" Sikowitz continued to explain.

"Sikowitz, turn the news on," Jade ordered.

"Jade, I'm in the middle of-"

"Turn it on!" she screamed.

"Jade," Beck said.

But Jade was too focused on her PearPhone. It couldn't have been true.

It couldn't be true.

The news people must have had it wrong.

They had to have it wrong.

They were wrong.

Sikowitz turned on the television and switched over to the news channel. Beck had his arms wrapped tightly around Jade. He wasn't sure what had her all wound up.

But in reality, no one really knew what was going on. Not even Jade.

"The body of Caterina Valentine was found this morning at…"

Jade didn't hear anything else. Beck Oliver couldn't believe what he just heard.

Their best friend was dead.

Cat Valentine was murdered.


	2. The First Should Have Been the Easiest

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

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Author's Note: I want to address a review first. To the person who mentioned the repetition, that is how I chose to construct the chapter. I'm sorry if you didn't like, but I have my own methods, and for what I wanted to achieve for that moment, that's what I did.

I promise that not every chapter will be like that.

So there is where the story really gets started...

Remember, reviews get a preview!

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**The First Should Have Been the Easiest**

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"_The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear." _

- H.P. Lovecraft

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_Seven years later…_

Beck Oliver always thought he would make it as an actor.

But the death of Cat Valentine changed a lot of things.

It changed how he thought about life.

It changed how Jade acted.

It even changed their relationship.

After Cat's death, Jade withdrew from everybody, even Beck. And there was nothing Beck could do to bring her back. He tried to be there; he really did. But Jade just wanted to be alone. She had even made it a point to transfer out of Hollywood Arts for her senior year.

Beck never thought he'd see the day where Jade would leave the one place that seemed to make her happy. But Hollywood Arts just wasn't the same without Cat. Nothing was the same without Cat and no matter how much they tried to ignore it, the pain from missing Cat grew every single day. Beck couldn't even look at a giraffe or a cupcake or even a white mocha anymore.

Beck flashed his name badge and proceeded through the security checkpoint of the police department. Today was his first day on the call floor. All the new recruits had been asked to come in at different times for their first day, allowing the transition to be easier so the supervisor, David Vega, could spend a few minutes with each one without having to rush to the next. Beck had been scheduled for a night shift: 8pm to 6am.

"What made you decide to take this job? I always thought you wanted to be an actor," David Vega asked as Beck entered the call floor, also known as the hive from the sound it created when all the operators were busy.

"I can't let someone else experience what Cat must have gone through that night."

Beck still remembered that day in class when they found out that Cat had been murdered. And it wasn't just that day that prevented him from becoming an actor. Every time he had to read an emotional scene or there was a character even remotely similar to Cat, he shut down on the inside. He thought about how great Cat would have been if she were still alive. It was those emotions that completely took over.

And it eventually, it became too much for him. People always thought he was emotionless, but Cat's death really hit home for him. It hit him so hard that he couldn't do the one thing he wanted because it rocked him to the core. So he approached Cat's tragic death in a different manner.

"Well, you made it through orientation so we're going to put you on the floor. This is where you will figure out if you can really handle this job," Vega continued.

He led Beck over toward his station.

"Take a moment, gather yourself, and when you're ready, press the large green button to accept a call. Good luck. If you need anything, let me know. I'll be close by if you need me. Just wave me over."

Beck sat down and took a deep breath.

"For Cat," he whispered. "I wish you were here."

He put on his headset and moved his mouse to hover over the green button.

"911, where's your emergency?" Beck asked, as was the protocol for answering a 911 call.

"Someone help me!" a young woman's voice shrieked.

The tone of the woman's face almost knocked Beck out of his seat from its intensity. But there was something vaguely familiar about it. He knew that voice but he couldn't place it. Not yet at least.

"Ma'am, I need you to calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down! I've been kidnapped! I'm in the trunk of a car!"

"What's your name?" Beck tried. He knew he needed to file a report and talking to whoever this was with their name rather than ma'am would probably elicit a better response. He needed to earn her trust so they could work together to get out of this situation.

"Jade West."

Beck could feel his entire face turn white and his heart started racing uncontrollably.

This couldn't be happening.


	3. The Clues in the Trunk

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

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_I know who it is…you don't. Muhahaha…_ (that was my evil laugh; it's not very good)

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**The Clues in the Trunk**

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_"A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you."_

-Elbert Hubbard

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Beck hadn't heard Jade's voice in six and a half years. But he never forgot it.

How could he? He had loved Jade since he met him. Still loved her, which made this entire situation even worse.

What if he couldn't help her?

What if this was the last time he'd ever hear her voice?

No. Beck pushed those thoughts away, at least for the time being. He flagged David over to his station, needing some guidance. The one thing they didn't go over in orientation was what happened if the call they received happened to be of someone they knew. It was California; the population was enormous. What were the odds that this would happen?

As David approached his station, Beck hit mute on the computer that was linked to the microphone on his headset. He didn't want Jade to freak out anymore than she already was.

"Everything alright?" David asked.

Beck shook his head. Honestly, it couldn't be any worse.

"What do we do if the person on the line is someone we know and they're in danger?" Beck questioned. He pulled up the window on his computer with Jade's license on it. She hadn't changed since high school.

"You went to high school with her. I remember Tori talking about her."

"David, what do I do? There's no GPS signal. How are we supposed to trace it?" Beck asked.

"Ask her if she's on a disposable cell phone."

David picked up the spare headset on Beck's desk and put it on. This was a tricky situation indeed. Beck moved his mouse to unmute the microphone when a realization hit him.

"Jade doesn't trust people easily. We need to establish trust with her," Beck pointed out.

"Does she still remember you?"

"Yeah. I think so at least."

"I don't know if it's the best course of action to check but if she knows it's you on the line, it might keep her calmer. How close were you two?"

"We dated for almost four years before she transferred and cut all ties with everyone."

"Tell her. She needs to trust us so we can get her out of there."

Beck unmuted his microphone and closed his eyes. He didn't want to be in this situation, especially not with Jade on the other line.

"Jade? Do you recognize my voice at all?" he asked. Beck didn't want to come right out and say it. He wanted to get Jade to focus on something else for the moment being.

"No. Should I?"

"Hollywood Arts. Jade, I know who know who I am."

It took Jade a moment, which she spent mumbling into the phone incoherently as she pieced the puzzle together.

"Beck?! Omigod."

Beck could hear Jade crying, a rare thing for her, and even rarer for someone else to hear.

"We'll figure this out," Beck said. "Jade, I won't let him hurt you. You hear me. I won't."

"Beck…"

"Jade, are you on a disposable cell phone?"

"No, I'm on my PearPhone. I had Sinjin remove the GPS chip because those guys from Nozu started stalking me again a few months ago. It stopped once he removed it. Beck-"

"We'll think of something. You're in a trunk, right?"

"Yeah," she replied. Beck could swear he could hear a sob in her throat.

"Do you know what kind of car you're in?"

"No."

"You don't remember what color it might be? Is it older and newer?"

"I don't know!"

Beck could hear Jade freaking out. She was pounding on the inside of the trunk, obviously desperate to get out. Just like in high school, Beck needed to take control. He needed to reassure Jade that it was going to be okay, even though he didn't know that.

"Jade, I need you to focus for me, alright? I'm going to do everything I can so we can find you."

"Get me out of here!"

"We will. But you have to work with us," Beck said. He could already feel sweat forming across his forehead and he knew that this call was going to take a while, not that he minded. He didn't want it cut short and lose Jade forever, like they had lost Cat.

David tapped Beck on the shoulder, prompting him to mute his microphone once again.

"We need to know what's around her; if there's anything in the trunk she can use to defend herself, we need to know."

"What about where she is?"

"Beck?" Jade asked.

"If she's as tough as you remember, and I'm sure she is, her being able to defend herself is the best weapon she's got right now."

Beck quickly got back on the line with Jade, knowing well that he needed to reassure her right now. The situation was scary enough with the prospect but knowing it was Jade on the other end of the call, that raised the stakes even more.

"What's in the car around you? There has to be something in the trunk," Beck asked. He made sure to speak in a calm voice in hopes that he could keep Jade calmer to some extent.

"Why does it matter? I don't even know what kind of car I'm in! I mean, I think it might be black but I'm not sure."

"No, that's great. Anything you can give us can help us find you. Feel around, use the light on your PearPhone to see what's in there."

Beck could feel his heart racing as he waited for Jade to respond. He was afraid of what she would say and what she would find. Whoever had her, Beck didn't know what they were capable of but if Jade had to go through even a moment of what Cat did…

"Omigod, Beck, there's a shovel. There's a shovel!"

Beck immediately hit mute on his computer. He didn't want Jade to hear any sort of reaction out of him. But the thought of losing Jade…he couldn't. He couldn't let it happen. He was going to get Jade out of there and back in his arms, if only for a moment.

"There's a shovel! He's gonna bury me! He's gonna kill me!" she wailed.

Jade began hitting the inside of the trunk even more. She didn't want to die. She didn't even want to be buried alive. She just wanted out.

"We don't know that! And you won't let it him. You're a fighter. You fight back. You've never let anyone put you in your place, not even me."

"I don't wanna die!"

"You're not gonna die. You're a fighter. Jade, focus on what's in the trunk. Do that for me."

It took a minute or so for Jade to somewhat regain her composure and complete the task at hand.

"Stay on the line," she ordered.

"I'm not going anywhere."

With that piece of knowledge, Jade felt just a tiny bit better, but not much considering the predicament she was in. She held her PearPhone out in front of her and began to search the trunk once again.

"Um…there's some…um, baby powder. Some…I think they're coconuts. They are coconuts."

"Anything else?"

Jade shook her head when something grabbed her attention. It was a bottle. She grabbed it to see what it was.

"Wait."

"What? Jade, what is it?" Beck frantically asked.

Then she saw more of them, stashed in the back corner. The rest of the bottles were all the same size but varied in color.

"There's gotta be ten or so bottles of lotion back here."

"Jade, we are going to find you okay? We'll find you."

"Promise?" she asked. She already sounded broken and that tugged at Beck's heart. Jade was strong, fearless…and definitely not powerless.

"Beck? Promise?"

One of the first things they had gone over during orientation was not to promise something because not all promises could be kept. But this was Jade and Beck wasn't going to give her up.

"I promise."


	4. The False Lead

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

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Author's Note: Did you guys really think I would make it that obvious? You might want to rethink a bit…

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**The False Lead**

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_"The world is full of obvious things which nobody by any chance ever observes."_

-Arthur Conan Doyle

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Jade was never one to exhibit fear. She always stared it straight in the face.

But this situation caught her completely off guard. There was no way to prepare for getting thrown in the trunk of the car in the middle of a parking garage. Just no way.

And it scared her. She tried to fight back but this person overpowered her. He got her in the trunk in a matter of seconds, despite how hard Jade fought back.

"Jade, do you have any idea about the person who grabbed you? Can you walk us through what happened?" Beck asked, reading the piece of paper that David slid in front of him.

"Will it help you find me?" she asked.

At this point, Jade didn't even care that she probably sounded weak. She was scared. She didn't want to die. She didn't know what this sick bastard had planned. She didn't know what to expect. She even felt bad that Beck was the operator who took her call because it might be the last time she spoke to him.

"Everything you give us is helping. I know it doesn't seem like that but it helps."

"Okay…I meet one of my friends after a really crappy audition at the mall," Jade began, her voice wavering the entire time.

"What mall?"

"The Green Meadow Mall. I met at…I think seven and we talked for a while."

David slid a piece of paper in front of Beck: _try to keep her calm and reassure her._

"Call down to the parking garage of the Green Meadow Mall and get their security footage. I want to find this…just do it," David ordered.

"When did you leave the mall?" Beck asked. He tried to keep her voice calm and friendly, knowing Jade would respond better to it.

"A little after eight. I parked in the parking garage. I was on the third floor."

"Jade, this is great. Now, the person who grabbed you, how did they approach you?"

Jade started to hyperventilate as the events that occurred earlier in the evening overwhelmed her.

"Jade, breathe. Is the car still moving? Jade?"

"It just keeps going. It's barely turned. I think I might be on a highway."

"The car that you're in?"

"Yes."

"Do you remember anything at all about the car? Besides it being black?"

Okay, so they were going a little off topic from the person who grabbed Jade but if it meant Beck got to hold her…to tell her it's safe, it was completely worth it.

"I think it might have been old."

Beck smiled. If there was one thing he knew, it was old cars.

"Do you remember us working on my car and I showed you where the lights were and how to take them out?"

Jade was silent for a minute as she tried to remember that summer where they restored Beck's former car.

"You can kick the lights out," she said softly.

"Jade, I want you to find the panel covering the lights and get it off. Do you have your scissor necklace?"

"Yeah. I never take it off."

"Use it like a screwdriver to get the panel off."

He was going to get Jade out of this situation. Failure wasn't an option for him, especially not with Jade's life on the line.

"Beck, I got it!"

"That's great! Now kick the lights outs and tell me what you see."

"We're in the process of getting the security footage from the parking garage. What's going on?" David asked.

"Jade got the lights in the back of the car. She can see where she is."

"There's just cars on a highway. I don't know, Beck."

"How many cars would you say?"

"A lot. I don't know!"

"Stick your arm out. If someone sees us, they'll call us."

"'Kay."

"Alright everyone! We have a kidnapping currently in progress. If you get a phone call about someone sticking their arm out of a trunk on the highway, I need to know!" David shouted.

"Are you sure he can't see me?"

"Positive. Keep waving it. You're gonna find you."

"You sure?"

"Keep talking to her. Someone saw her arm on the expressway," David said. "Keep her on the line."

"I'm sure. You have to trust us, alright?"

"Can you read the license plate on that car?" the operator asked.

"Jade, do you remember the long monologue Tawny said in _The Scissoring_?" Beck asked.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Say it to me."

"Beck-"

"Please," he added, softer this time. He really just wanted to keep Jade distracted so he could see what was going on.

As Jade started the monologue that she knew by heart, Beck muted the microphone and made his way over to the adjacent station where another 911 operator was taking information from the person who had called in about Jade. This was it. They were finally going to get some sort of answer.

When the operator punched in the final number and sent the report, another window popped up in the screen. It was the owner.

"That's Sikowitz," Beck whispered.

"It's not him. Sikowitz doesn't have her," David said.

"How do you know that?"

"Because he was arrested earlier this evening, around seven, at the Green Meadow Mall for being intoxicated and throwing coconuts at people."

Then who had Jade?


	5. Out of Time

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

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Author's Note: Want a preview? Just review.

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**Out of Time**

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"_I no longer fear the invisible, I'm terrified by reality."_

- Jean Lorrain

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"If it's not Sikowitz, then who is it?" Beck asked.

"I know the license plate says it's your former teacher but it's also got the color of the car wrong. Beck, I'm almost positive the plates have been switched."

"Well, what if Sikowitz is working with someone? Can't you send someone to talk him since he's in police custody?"

"Get back on the phone with Jade. Your job right now is to keep her calm and get information," David ordered. "We'll work on Sikowitz. See if he knows anything. Your first priority is Jade though. Remember that."

David handed Beck back his headset. "Any information you can get from her gets one step closer to finding her."

"Beck? Beck!"

Beck closed his eyes for a moment as he heard Jade's voice ring out. He put his headset back on and unmated it, ready to continue this fight. He hoped at least.

"I'm right here. It's okay."

"I thought you left me."

"No. I…I had someone talking to me."

"Are you trying to find me still?"

"We're working on it."

"Get me out of here," she whispered.

Beck could hear how desperate she sounded and wanted nothing more than to make it happen. He didn't know how he managed to keep any composure over the last hour. He made Jade go over what happened in the parking garage repeatedly but she wasn't able to give them anymore information. And it frustrated Beck. He just wanted to help her…make her safe again.

"Beck, he's slowing down," Jade whispered.

Beck's heart started racing. While the car slowing down meant Jade wasn't getting further away, it also put her in danger. Whatever this man wanted, it wouldn't be long now.

"You need to find something in there that you can defend yourself with. You're going to need to fight," Beck pointed out to her.

"He…"

"Jade, you're a fighter and this time, you'll be prepared."

"There's nothing here though," she softly cried.

"There hasn't to be something in there. Use the panel covering the lights you kicked out. Tell me when you have it in your hand."

Beck could hear Jade shuffling around but didn't know how to prepare her for what was coming, even though he didn't exactly know what was happening next. But he had an idea. It seemed farfetched but it was the only thing he had.

"Okay. I got it."

"I'm going to ask you to do something really difficult. I need you to put the phone in your pocket. He's going to open the trunk and when he does, you need to shout out everything you see about him and what's around you. You need to make as much of a scene as you can."

"You don't know where I am, do you?"

Beck didn't want to tell Jade no. They had been able to get hits off towers but they still hadn't been able to pinpoint her location.

"We need you to make a scene," Beck reiterated.

"You don't know where I am!" she continued to sob.

Jade was right: they didn't know where she was. But Beck wasn't going to come right out and say it. It was the last thing he wanted Jade to think.

"These calls are recorded, right?" she asked.

"Yes. Why would you ask that?"

Beck didn't like where this conversation was going. It sounded like Jade was about to give up.

"Because I don't want you to forget my voice."

"I'd never forget your voice. I never have."

"He stopped. Beck-"

"Put your phone in your pocket. Leave it on so we can hear you. Shout out everything you see."

"I'm scared," she whispered.

Beck was too. Terrified was a better word for him.

"What's going on?" David asked.

"The car stopped. Right now, we're waiting. David…"

"Give me your headset. Let me take over. You can use the one we used when you were training."

Under any other circumstances, Beck probably would have insisted that he could handle this but this was much more than he bargained for on his first day, let alone his first call. It was probably more than what most people bargained for in their career.

Beck had to hold his hand over his mouth as he heard the trunk open up in a swoop and Jade began screaming. There was nothing he could do either, which made it worse for him.

"Necklace! Letter D! No! Get-"

Beck just wanted to reach through the phone and strangle whoever was hurting Jade. He could barely handle hearing her scream.

"St-"

"Who is this?" the man asked. He didn't sound threatening or dangerous. He sounded like anyone on the street. Maybe even a little drunk.

Beck didn't recognize his voice. David did, but he couldn't place it anywhere.

"Listen to me: you don't want to hurt her. Just let her go," David said.

Beck was relieved that it was David talking to Jade's captor. Beck doubted that he would be able to keep his composure. He could hear Jade's muffled screams.

"Let her go," David said again. Beck could only hold his breath at this point. They were completely at the mercy of Jade's kidnapper.

"Come find her body."

"NO!" Beck screamed, causing every operator in the room to stare at him.

The signal from her cell phone, the one that told him Jade was alive, that she wasn't being hurt, was gone.


	6. Cat's Last Night

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

Author's Note: I know the title is about Cat, don't worry, nothing violent. Just some commotion.

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**Cat's Last Night**

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"_If you're paralyzed with fear it's a good sign. It shows you what you have to do."_

-Steven Pressfield

* * *

Beck failed. He failed Jade.

And now…the thought of the unimaginable made Beck sick to his stomach.

Why hadn't he done more?

He hit redial on the computer but no one picked up.

He did it again

No one.

"Come with me," David ordered.

Beck got up without saying a word. They had been told, rather early on during orientation, that if a phone call they received overwhelmed them, they were more than welcome to excuse themselves from the floor and go into the quiet room to calm down for a few minutes.

Suffice to say, Beck needed that. He wasn't going to be useful to anyone right now. He need a few minutes to himself. He needed to decompress. As he turned to go into the quiet room to clear his head, David tapped him on the shoulder.

"This way," he said. "There's something I need you to listen to."

David brought Beck into his office and shut the door. Beck sat down in the chair across from David's desk and let his head fall back.

He blamed himself for not doing enough.

He blamed himself for Jade being hurt.

"Beck, this isn't your fault," David told him.

"If I knew what I was doing-"

"Don't do that to yourself. Listen, if I was in your situation and it was Tori or Trina on the line, I'd be calling my supervisor over too. You can't blame yourself. Now, I need you to listen to this," David told him.

"What is it?"

"Listen."

David clicked play on the clip he had loaded up in the queue on his computer. Beck held his breath.

"911, what's your emergency?" the operator asked.

"Someone just broke in my house."

"What's your name sweetie?"

"Cat Valentine."

"Where are you?"

"In my house?"

"Are you in your room, the kitchen, the bathroom? Where are you in the house?"

"My room."

"Upstairs or downstairs?"

"Upstairs."

Beck heard Cat close what he presumed to be her bedroom door and then the footsteps got louder.

"Scared," Cat whispered shakily.

"Cat, listen to me. I want you-"

Beck heard someone breaking the door and Cat screaming.

"No one can save you," a new voice said. Beck didn't recognize it as quickly as David hoped.

Cat continued to scream until Beck heard a loud thud and Cat was silent.

"Listen to me: you don't want to hurt that little girl. Just let her go. Let her go."

"Come find her body."

Cat continued to scream until the call disconnected.

"Those were last known words of Cat Valentine," David said.

"Why would you make me listen to this?" Beck asked. Wasn't it bad enough that he had lost Jade for the moment being? He didn't need to be reminded of Cat's death right now.

"Listen to the voice at the end," David ordered.

David played the last bit of the clip again.

"Come find her body."

Beck had to hear it over three times before he made the realization.

"It's the same guy who's got Jade. Oh god. You don't think that-"

"I don't know. Beck, was there anyone who might have known both of them?"

"They…there's Hollywood Arts. They had a lot of the same teachers."

"Did they go to a lot of parties in high school? Did you guys bring out any professionals when you did productions?"

"Jade mentioned something about a prom but I don't know if Cat went to that. I was out of town when that happened. David, I don't know if I want to hear this answer but how long was it between the phone call Cat made and then finding her body?" he shakily asked.

He needed to know how long they had to find Jade.

"About ten hours. The autopsy report however…"

David was hesitant to say anything else. He knew that Beck had been close friends with Cat.

"Say it."

"The coroner said that Cat had been dead about eight hours by the time they found her. Beck, I'm sorry."

Beck buried his face in his hands and used his elbows to keep his face from hiding in the table.

Jade…

Beck couldn't even be bothered to see who burst into David's office when the door opened.

"Chief Bennett, what's going on?"

"You need to get in a squad car and head out now," he ordered. "Someone just called in from Palmdale. They saw a girl, matching Jade's description, getting pulled from the trunk of a car and into a house. They were able to get a full description of the suspect and we have units on the way there now."

Beck looked at David. Maybe they would get to Jade. Maybe Jade would be safe and Beck could hold her again and tell her it's okay.

"Vega! Go!"

Then the reality of the situation really hit Beck.

It was the same guy who currently had Jade.

Same guy that killed Cat.

Beck wanted to throw up.

What if this guy who killed Cat killed Jade too?

"Talk Oliver!" the chief shouted.

"What?"

"You're coming with me," David said.

"I am?" Beck asked. He was a 911 operator, not a police officer or SWAT team member.

"Yes because if it is Jade, I doubt she'll let anyone get near her but you. She trusts you and we can use that to our advantage. And I know you want to see this guy go down just as much as I do."

Beck nodded his head. This guy had already ruined his life once by taking Cat away.

He couldn't take Jade away too.

Beck just hoped they weren't too late.


	7. The One That Got Away

Disclaimer: I don't own Victorious. Dan Schneider does.

Author's Note: Here is the last chapter of _The Call_. I was going to have it be two chapters and you probably would have been able to tell where I would have split it.

I had a tiny bit of a plot after this but I doubt I'll write beyond this. I feel like I get too repitive.

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**The One That Got Away**

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"_Maybe there's nothing we can do about this. But at least, for now...cry with me. Like your entire body...is screaming at the sky."_

– Natsuki Takaya

* * *

Beck lost count of how many police cars were outside the house when he and David arrived on the scene. It had taken them a little less than an hour to get there with David going at least eighty on the highway.

There was a standoff when Beck and David; that much was apparent. Beck wasn't entirely sure what had all happened since the call but he just hoped that Jade was alive. No sign of Jade, which made Beck even more nervous. He wanted to see Jade.

He _needed_ to see Jade.

Where was Jade?

"What are they doing?" Beck asked softly.

"They're getting ready to go in. Stay with me," David ordered. "It shouldn't be more than another minute or two."

Beck could feel his heart racing. It pounded in his ears. Waiting was the worst part. What if whoever had Jade was hurting her right now?

A barrage of officers forced their way inside the house. Beck wanted to go in with them. He needed to see Jade. He needed to know that he hadn't caused her death. He should have done more to get her out. And now her fate was in the hands of people he didn't know.

"We got him!" someone through the walkie. "Coming out now!"

"Any news on the girl?!" David shouted back.

"Nothing yet but we're still looking."

At least Jade wasn't being hurt anymore but that didn't put Beck at ease. What if it was too late?

"Why haven't they found Jade?" Beck asked.

"They're looking. Beck, I'm positive she's here. It just might take a few minutes to find her."

As Beck and David began to head inside, their culprit was being dragged outside. He had a dirty beard and was only wearing a robe with some socks on.

"His name is Douglas Cooper. He's a party entertainer. Goes by Doug the Diaper Guy."

_Doug the Diaper Guy_…why did Beck recognize that name?

He raked his memory for the why it sounded familiar and then he remembered Jade telling him about how Vega ruined her performance. It was the same guy. That's how he knew Cat.

He remembered Jade spending the night in his RV and softly crying. She never told him exactly what had happened but Beck had been able to string together that Doug had tried to come on to her. Maybe this was revenge now.

"Where is she?" David questioned harshly.

Doug said nothing. He gave David a twisted smile and Beck felt his stomach twist. Did this mean they were too late?

"Get him out of here," David ordered. "Come on."

Beck followed behind David as they made their way inside.

Officers were everywhere, taking pictures of the crime scene. Beck could see piles of lotion on the table and knocked over bottles of baby powder. He even saw some coconuts. This was the guy. He had everything Jade had mentioned in the car.

He stepped into the living room. There was a china cabinet against the back wall but there wasn't china in it. It contained a myriad of things from teenage girls. But one object caught his attention more than the rest.

"David!" Beck called.

Why did Doug have a purple giraffe that looked just like the one Cat had?

"They're trophies," David whispered.

"And that's Jade's necklace. Do you think he…oh god."

"Sir, I found someone. I think it's the girl you're looking for. Who knows her?"

Beck stepped forward. "I was on the phone with her. We went to high school together."

"I need to come with me and identify her."

"Identify?" Beck didn't like how the officer used that word.

"Come with me."

The officer led Beck toward a back room, which contained nothing more than a dirty mattress.

In the back corner, Beck saw Jade.

"Jade," he whispered.

She was nude and there was blood splattered all along the walls.

He was too late.

"I'm sorry," the officer said.

Too late.

He broke his promise.

"I'm sorry. I tried," he softly cried.

He pulled back a few strands of her dark hair, adorned with dark red streaks. It reminded him of Cat's hair, and he couldn't help but wonder if Cat was the reason behind his color. She was probably was though. Cat's death really shook Jade to the core.

"Go get a gurney. We need to get her out of here," David ordered. "Beck, you can't be in here. It's a crime scene. I need you to move."

David was right. Beck turned to leave when he heard a mumble.

"Jade?" he softly questioned.

"Beck?"

Beck knelt back down next to Jade, just in time to see her open her eyes.

"I'm gonna get you out of here, alright?" he said.

Jade nodded her head as Beck draped a thin blanket over her small frame. It was the only thing Beck could find in the shoddy room and he didn't want to take Jade out with something covering her.

"She's alive?" David asked. "I need a paramedic!"

Jade moved closer to Beck and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"It all hurts," she whispered.

"I know. And I'm sorry. I wish we could have found you sooner."

"You found me."

"Let's get you out of here."

Beck picked up Jade and cradled her close to his chest. He never wanted to let her go again.

"Beck!" she shouted. Beck could feel Jade shaking against him. He turned just in time to see a paramedic come toward Jade.

"It's okay. It's just a paramedic. You're safe. I won't let anything happen to you. It's over."

But instead of agreeing with Beck's statement, Jade burst into tears. What Doug did to her…it wouldn't go away. She remembered how his grimy, grease covered hands felt like. She could distinctly remember what _he_ felt like.

"It's over. You're safe."

"Take me home," she whispered. "You."

"My place?"

Jade nodded her head into his shoulder and held onto him for dear life.

Beck wished he had been able to smile but in reality, he had Jade back and that's all that really mattered.


End file.
